MARY FRANCE “FRAN” (DILLON) SINGLETON,

“I have never resented being told I was made out of dust, which really means soil, for to have the same origin as the flowers and trees is a very fine thing indeed, and makes us cousins to the violet and sisters of the oak.” Hanna Rion, Let’s Make a Flower Garden, 1912

of Jacksonville, Ark., walked quietly into the Lord’s garden on February 14th, 2023‚Äîthe day before her 93rd birthday. Born in Wilmot, Ark., Fran was a true daughter of the Delta‚Äîshe loved its soil and its crops. Her father, a traveling wholesale grocery salesman, taught her how to farm and grow a business. Her older brother made sure she inherited his sense of humor and spirit of adventure. And from her mother and aunt and sister, she learned the importance of volunteering and making things beautiful for others‚Äîmost especially in the form of flowers. On New Year’s Eve, 1948, Fran gathered all those beautiful lessons within her heart and left to marry her high school sweetheart. Life in the U.S. Army took those two crazy kids all over the world‚Äîfrom Dumas, where the day lilies bloomed in her parent’s yard on College Street; to California where the poppies grew wild; then to Germany with its daisies near the castles; on to the hibiscus of Hawaii; the coneflowers of Maryland‚Äîand everywhere in between. 33 years, 3 children, and who knows how many window-container African violets later, when Bill retired, they came back to Arkansas and settled down in Jacksonville (with her day lilies and King Alfred daffodils) for good. Fran had many jobs in retail and banking throughout her life‚Äîmost recently as head teller at First Jacksonville Bank & Trust and as a real estate agent for Century 21. She was recognized as Business & Professional Women’s Woman of the Year and Jacksonville’s Citizen of the Year in 1995, but she was proudest of her achievements within the Garden Club and the Hospital Auxiliary. She was a Lifetime Member of the National Garden Club, South Central Region, as well as the Arkansas Federation of Garden Clubs. She served twice as the President of the Jacksonville Garden Club Chapter where she was inducted into the Circle of Roses society. Fran served the Auxiliary of Rebsamen Memorial Hospital/North Metro Medical Center for 25 years. Running the clinic gift shop was her passion. She loved going to market “with her girls” and finding all the wonderful things to put in the shop for each new season. All the buying, staffing, decorating‚Äîit added up to more than 18,000 volunteer hours and she had the pin on her pink uniform jacket to prove it! Fran was preceded in death by her parents, Patrick B. Dillon and Kelma C. (Locke) Dillon; siblings Patrick B. Dillon, Jr., and Linda J. (Dillon) Deverell; aunt Annie Mae Matthews; granddaughter Jamie Frances Singleton; and her husband, Retired Col. William T. “Bill” Singleton. Left to tend her earthly garden are her: Children‚ÄîThomas R. Singleton (Hobbit); James P. Singleton (Heather); Sherri S. Davenport (Chris). Grandchildren‚ÄîJennifer S. Miller (Darren); Shawn T. Singleton (Julie); Benjamin P. Singleton (Deanna); Justin Davenport; Michael Davenport; and Lilee Jae Singleton. Great-grandchildren‚ÄîEmmeline Miller, Niko Fallon; and Dallas Singleton. Brother-in-law, Terry Deverell; cousin, Jane Matthews; and great-nieces Glenda Minor Oden (Gary); Judy Minor Akins (Nick). The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to First Choice Senior Care, whose compassionate staff allowed her to fulfill her wishes of living independently at home for as long as possible. Our family is also grateful for Springhill Baptist’s Wound Care, Home Health, and Hospice Teams, as well as the staff at Parkway Village.

Memorial Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, February 20th, 2023 at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home, 1504 N. J.P. Wright Loop Road, Jacksonville, Ark. 72076. In lieu of sending flowers, the family asks that you remember Fran by planting something beautiful in your own yard or container garden this spring. Donations can also be made to the Blue Star Memorial Project of National Garden Clubs. Of course, Fran would also invite you to check out your local Garden Club chapter. They always need new members. As Rudyard Kipling wrote, “Gardens are not made by singing ‚ÄòOh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.”